Are IBM any good?

I am thinking about buying a laptop and IBM seem to be cheap, what I want to know is; are the laptops IBM builds any good, I mean is the build quality good (do keys fall of the keyboard etc) Thanks everyone.

The thinkpad has received a lot of good reviews, however, this was primarily before IBM was bought over by Lenovo - a communist chinese company. (mainland). Since then, IBM's quality has dipped a little and it is no longer IBM except in name. If you want to support communists, go ahead and buy it.

Ok if IBM are no good who does make cheap laptops with an acceptable build quality, (cheap meaning £300) I am not overly interested in the spec but i am looking for a laptop (new, 2nd user, refurbished) with 1Ghz or more. Thanks

I think that if you find an IBM laptop you can afford, you'd be happy with it. I haven't priced out laptops in about a year, however when I did, I thought that Toshiba had a good price for the features included. You still need to find out what you're going to be using this laptop for as there's many reasons to choose a specific size/model.

IBM IBM IBM IBM.
Every laptop I've owned and loved has been IBM. Good and solid, best keyboards around.
And if I'm not mistaken, IBM's laptop division has remaned intact and owned by IBM and has naught to do with Lenovo. Lenovo bought out IBMs desktop division. Not sure.

IBM is not considered cheap, though, and can even be twice as much as a similar equipped from HP or Compaq, who are crap.

I think Sony is alright, but the physical design of them is not as easy as others. Spit on Dell.
I'd go with IBM first. Maybe Sony next. Or I'd take a piece of cardboard and draw a keyboard on it, put a sticky note on the "screen" and call it a Dell.

I have a top of the line IBM as my work laptop. And I can say it absolutely kicks. But of course it is a top of the line, I haven't seen any running a slimmed down version yet. But if they are anything like this one I believe you would like it.

Look man, it's simple. Just like buying a "real" computer, except you're getting a laptop Look at: CPU speed, its peripheral speed (266, 333, 800 Mhz) and onboard cache RAM - the bigger the better; then look at memory quantity, expandibility and speed (266, 333, 400 Mhz), single or DDR - bigger better, DDR better; then look at HDD - 5400 RPM ****, 7200+ RPM good; probably MOST important is that the laptop should have its own 3d accelerator card which is news in the laptop world because previous laptops had SHARED system memory that the graphics card would use. The "new ones" or the "good ones" nowadays have an actual 3d accelerator, separate "card" from the system, just like the "real" computers. Then and only after you've made sure you're getting this stuff good, you look at soundcard and all the other bull**** like how many usb ports etc. You can always get external soundcard, USB expansion, external floppy dirve, external burner, but you cannot get external CPU. Also VERY important is the actualy speeds of the motherboard, because they vary GREATLY and it's what connects all these components together and it's very important and easy overlooked by a computer buyer. Just read some reviews for crying out loud Helpful now?

Care to support that statement? For 2 years I've had 3 users with Toshiba laptops which offer features that no other manufactorer does, and they are all happy with them.

And again, until you know what the intended use of the laptop will be, going with the "fastest" machine can be a bad idea. For starters, speed directly translates into higher power consumption (less battery life) and heat (ever put a laptop on your lap?). Most high powered laptops are bulky and heavy at around 12lbs and cost conciderably more. If you plan to use a laptop for school, you won't need a desktop replacement. In fact if you get a laptop thats too big and heavy, you'll be less likely to take it out in class as it takes more effort and more space on your desk.

one thing I find is the battery doesn't last too long... I mean for a couple of hours, it's over. And why would you want to game with a laptop anyway?? Most games now you have to play online. Are you really going to sit in a hotspot and play for hours?? You would stay at home and play anyway.... I don't see a point for a laptop to be so powerful.

Say a person has no space at their desk because they live in mom's closet. They absolutely have to have a laptop, and they are a gamer with loads of cash. Then by all means, by the biggest, baddest gaming laptop out there.

I always thought of laptops as secondary systems anyway. I really don't picture them as primary machines. The problems they can have running 24/7, or at least all day. I think of laptops as just additions to desktops. The detachable sidekick if you will. To take with you, use as a laptop is meant to be used. Until you go back to do your work on the good ol' desktop.

And seriously, desktops can come in pretty tiny packages, even with upgrade options. Such as extra half-height PCI and AGP, more plugs, full sized bays etc. Mingled with an LCD and a wireless keyboard with mouse built-in, doesn't take all that more space then a laptop. Plus they are easier to upgrade RAM and CPU or Hard drive later on.

If you want a laptop as your primary PC, to sit at a desk all year except when you take it on vacation. That isn't a good reason to buy a laptop. If you need to travel with your PC on a weekly, maybe even monthly basis, then a laptop may be better. If you can't get by using memory cards.

Lenovo bought all the personal computing division. This includes desktops, laptops, and monitors.

They didn't buy the workstation division though, so you can still purchase an IBM "PC" if you want to call it that. They are probably more for those that want real iron and don't mind paying a huge premium.

The reasons you might need a desktop are:
1) You game demanding games.
2) You need multiple optical drives.
3) You need multiple harddrives for RAID or extra storage. Even that can be leveled on a laptop with external hdd enclosures (for extra storage at least).
4) You plan on upgrading (most end users don't ever upgrade their desktop).
5) You will never ever ever want to take your computer with you.

Otherwise a laptop is the way to go. With built in wireless almost standard now, it great to be able to just sit anywhere in the house and surf. Laptops are not that much more expensive anymore than desktops (if you include the price of a screen) and they are upgradable on the most commonly upgraded parts (memory and harddrive). Plus if you get a docking station/port replicator you can easily use your laptop as a quiet power consious desktop. You can purchase a screen, keyboard, and mouse for it and have a fairly easy to set up dual screen desktop replacement.